


The Best One of Me

by Memori_wanderis



Category: One Piece
Genre: Cigars, Gen, Gen Work, Implied/Referenced Suicide, No pairing - Freeform, One Shot, Post-Canon, Post-Canon Speculation, Smoking, genfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:00:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22173697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Memori_wanderis/pseuds/Memori_wanderis
Summary: Paulie encounters someone in Water-7 he never expected to show up there again.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 41





	The Best One of Me

**Author's Note:**

> 1) **Trigger Warning** References to Suicide, non-graphic
> 
> 2) This is something I can see happening after One Piece canon, with allusions to some ideas how the manga/anime is going to play out. That's all speculation on my part.
> 
> 3) Dangit I really like these two. Always did.

He closes his eyes, and even with the winds this high up, he can pick up all the familiar scents. He plants his hands on the edge of the roof, and sinks himself into the smells of the city; the sea air, fresh-cut wood, the hempen rope that was just looped over his head and expertly tightened around his neck.

"You!" 

As the rope is jerked backwards, throwing him on his back on the rooftop, he opens his eyes. _Well,_ he thinks. _If anyone would have noticed me here, I'd say Paulie was at least in the top three. Probably higher._

Right now he's not sure if it was the best or worst possibly scenario.

From his vantage point, he can see his assailant; blond, slicked-back hair, goggles perched on his forehead, and one of his ever-present big cigars clamped in his jaw. Paulie's clothes are new, however; a slick-looking black suit with a cloud-patterned button-down shirt underneath.

And the rope he's currently being strangled with; really can't ignore that little detail.

"You," Paulie breathes, and from here he is sure he can hear the shipwright's teeth grinding. "You gotta lotta fuckin' nerve coming back here." He can hear the rope creak as Paulie tightens the grip on it in his right hand. "Where's the rest of your little traitor crew, Kaku?"

"Dead, more'n likely," Kaku replies, and he feels the rope slacken a little. "Lucci and Spandam are. Kalifa and the others split up from us after Enies Lobby. Haven't seem them in a dog's age." He takes a breath; even with the light slack on the rope it is way too tight. "Haven't you heard the news about the number the Straw Hats did on the planet? No World Government, no Cipher Pol, it's gone." _No wonder the bounty on Nico Robin had been so damned high._

To his credit, Paulie doesn't start a gloating celebration on hearing of Rob Lucci's death. 

"Doesn't answer the question," Paulie says, cigar smoke coming out in short bursts as he speaks. "What're you doing here?"

The smile Kaku gives him; Paulie could swear it was almost sad.

"I liked the view here," Kaku answers. "Since I have nowhere to go, or, well, no one to be, I figured I'd come here and enjoy it until someone, and I kinda thought it'd be you Paulie, kicked me off."

"Off the island?"

"Off the roof."

Comprehension hits Paulie like a tack hammer to the back of the head. Considering Kaku's Devil Fruit powers, and his training, he could have broken out of Paulie's rope at any time. Escape would be easy for him; Paulie remembers the ass-kicking he got years ago at the hands of CP-9. Kaku's hands are still at his sides. At no point has he even tried to tug at the rope around his neck. Even the orange-haired man's clothes told a story; white cap with an orange shirt and jeans. His clothes back when he 'worked' for Galley-La.

"You came here to die-no. No no no," Paulie says, correcting himself. "You couldn't off yourself, so you came back here thinkin' one of us would do it for you. You sick bastard," he growls, and drops the rope. "Get someone else to do your fucking dirty work, Kaku. The hell is wrong with you?"

The answering smile takes a rueful tone. 

"Where do you want me to start, Paulie?"

Paulie's expression showed he clearly wasn't expecting that answer. The Galley-La vice president sits down, motioning with a hand for Kaku to sit up.

The CP-9 assassin does so, still making no move to get away.

"You ever hear of Guanhao, Paulie," Kaku asks. "How they train Cipher Pol agents, with the Rokushiki and all?" The answering head-shake from Paulie was expected; when Nico Robin exposed the World Government's corruption going back centuries, Kaku figured it got buried under the bigger details. 

"There's some that volunteer, or have family in the organization. Spandam and Kalifa's fathers, for one." Kaku takes a deeper breath as Paulie flicks ash off his stogie. "Well, the rest're orphans. The ones either left behind by pirate raids, or collateral damage from the World Government's warships." His mouth twists downward at this. "Bullshit like-" he adds the finger quotes with his hands. -"'acceptable losses.' 'All for the greater good.' You name it."

"You were an orphan?" Paulie sees Kaku nod, and stops himself from asking whether it was because of Pirates of the Government. 

"Got it in one.," Kaku replies. "They find orphans on the streets and take them, whether they want it or not. They figured if they give them a bed and food and a place in the world...so they train them." His eyes close. "Make them what Cipher Pol needed. They molded them, in body and _mind_ , to serve the World Government." He lifts his head to meet his eyes with Paulie's. "The answer to any question not in line with their beliefs was...painful."

"Shit," Paulie says, having scooted closer as Kaku told his tale. "How-?"

"I was four when they took me," Kaku answers. Damned kid was always honest to a fault, Paulie thinks.

Wordlessly, Paulie takes the cigar from his mouth and holds it out to the other man. Knowing Paulie is not usually one to share, Kaku takes it and brings it up to his mouth, lips forming a smooth 'o' around the foot as draws in the smoke. He blows out the smoke slowly, filling the air further with the smell of the fine tobacco. 

"Hmm," Kaku says as he hands the cigar back. "Pretty good."

Paulie tosses his lighter and one of the untouched cigars on his bandolier to the man, and waits without talking while Kaku clips and lights it.

"So," Kaku continues. The cigar and the act of smoking gives him something to focus on, other than some of the childhood memories best left in the past. "So, I was made into the Kaku they wanted me to be. Been a lot of things over the years, deep cover operations and all that jazz." He pauses to take another puff or two. "I always liked ships as a kid, before..." He tilts his hand, and Paulie nods back. "I was here for five years, working on ships. Out of all of the people I had to be in my line of work, this one, the Galley-La Shipwright, was the best one of me." He finds it in himself to chuckle. "At Enies Lobby, Zoro defeated me. It was a great fight. It was only afterward, when he passed me your message, Paulie." _'You're fired.' 'Too bad.'_ "It was only then that I actually felt like I lost."

"So he did tell you that?" Paulie asks with a chuckle. "Kinda surprised he remembered."

"You and me both," Kaku answers around his cigar. 

"That's why you came back here, when the government fell?"

"Yeah," Kaku says. "I'm a Cipher Pol assassin and spy, and with the Revolutionaries winning, I'm a dead man walking."

"But...what happened when you were a kid, it's not your-"

"Don't try and blow sunshine up my ass, Paulie," Kaku says. "In the end, I did what I did. I have to face the music about it."

"Kaku..."

"And if I have to take the Long Walk," Kaku adds. "Then I wanted it to be here. For a few minutes more, I want to be that 'best one of me' again."

There's a few minutes of silence and cigar smoke. Other than that, neither Kaku nor Paulie move much, let alone trying to escape. Or jump.

"I can't decide that," Paulie finally says. "But, in the name of the Mayor of Water 7, I am placing you under arrest. You gonna resist?"

Kaku's eyebrows jump to his hairline, the only tell he gives Paulie as a reaction.

"I haven't resisted yet."

"Good. Iceburg'll decide your fate. Who knows," Paulie adds with a smirk. "Some idiot might try'n advocate for you, and they might pass down a sentence that you have to work for Galley-La to pay off your debt to society." He chuckles at himself. "Probably til retirement, considering."

"You...you can't be serious."

"I'm the fucking Vice President of Galley-La," Paulie retorts. "That's serious business. Now finish your cigar and calm down so I can take you to Iceburg and get you arrested all proper-like."

"You wouldn't be keeping me up here on the off chance your debt collectors don't climb to rooftops, right?"

"Don't ask questions that will make me lie to you, Kaku," Paulie says. "S'bad precedent for employers."

"All right," Kaku answers with a chuckle. "Now, about this," he adds, pointing to Paulie's rope, which is still around his neck.

"What part of 'Under Arrest' do you not get," Paulie scowls back. "You're wasting time! Smoke your damn cigar! They're expensive!"

"Fine, fine, sheesh," Kaku says, rolling his eyes, and puts the cigar between his teeth. "You've always been such a slave driver, Paulie."

"You think so?" Paulie grins wickedly around his own cigar, which was almost spent. "Just you wait."

-Fin-


End file.
